Is Sugar Ray Leonard overrated?

I think he's earned his status. A H2H monster at 147 and achieved pretty much every objective he set for himself.
He had awesome physical gifts but when that wasn't enough he could turn to hus indomitable will to win and ring IQ.

Some of his career was smoke & mirrors granted, he played Hagler for instance and did wait for the right time to strike. His capturing of 2 titles in one fight was bogus...but still. ATG And no doubt about it.

 

Leonard's resume isn't very complete outside of the fab 4, with the exception of Benitez.

But isn't a fighter's legacy defined by the best fighters they fought in their career?

 

You can spend as long as you like trying to convince yourself that Hearns could have made Welter again after September 81, just don't expect anyone else to be that gullible.

The scales prove you wrong.

 

I couldn't believe how fast he was in the first Duran fight. And they weren't potshots either. The bodyshots I thought were a lot of just for show, but even when he sat down on his punches they were fast. Just fast, fast, fast.

 

No. The scales don't lie.
He weighed 145. He had not outgrown welter. He wasn't struggling to make 147.

 

Hearns did indeed weigh 145 but it was a **** up. He was furious with Steward for coming in so light.
He was future was obviously at higher weight, though I do suspect that losing to Leonard hastened the move.

 

Baseless statement. What proof of this do you have that he couldn't make 147 any more? He left principally because Leonard kicked him upstairs.

 

Gil Clancy make a big thing out of 145 pounds on the TV coverage.
When did Hearns or Steward say Hearns was furious ?


I don't believe Hearns was weight drained. He looked weak after 13 rounds with a great fighter who'd been hitting him hard often enough since about round 6 or 7.

Later on, he looked weak after 2 rounds with Hagler, but there's obviously such thing as a 'leg massage' excuse too.

 

Years aren't necessarily important. Ring age is important. 15 fights in a couple of years, especially some wars against GOAT level fighters, wears and tears on your body.
All of these factors need to be taken into account to form an opinion of longevity.

 

We're talking about same day weigh ins vs Hearns. It wasn't that bad.
Hearns was still good enough to outpoint a GOAT level fighter in prime SRL. If Hearns was weak, he would not be able to do such a thing.

Leonard fought Duran's fight - anyone in history will lose doing this (other than maybe Hearns). The only way to beat a ready Duran is by outpointing him the way Leonard did.

 

Duran is a swarmer with an iron chin. The only way to beat him in his own fight is to have incredible speed and power. Ray Leonard just wasn't a big enough puncher to beat Duran toe to toe.

Duran tried to jump on Hearns. At 154 Hearns had too much power and cracked his chin.

I see him getting knocked out by Julian Jackson, Ray Robinson at 147 and 154 as well if he tries to swarm them too.

There are certain guys you don't want to swarm. It worked for Hagler because he is bigger and stronger than Duran.

 

I know that you think you have logic on your side but you're wrong. Hearns actually had a hard time putting on the weight to move up.

" But even as Hearns feasted on steaks and two or three milk shakes a day before the Geraldo fight—"Training has been real nice this time," he said—he only made it to 153¼, which he admits may be his limit."

http://www.si.com/vault/1982/03/08/616474/punching-and-praying

 

You thought his style was boring? How many of his fights have you seen?

Too many base their view on Leonard's style on the Duran rematch and the Hagler fight. Those are the exceptions. At his peak, Leonard was a boxer puncher. Much more like Robinson than Ali. His KO's of Price, Green and Kalule are testament to this. And he was the only one below MW to walk Hearns down. Hardly a shoeshiner.

And how he can be criticized for boxing Hagler, I don't understand. Hagler had walked through the best punches of Roldan, Hearns and Mugabi. And Leonard was a ring rusty former WW fighting at MW for the first time. Does anyone seriously think it would be wise of him to go toe to toe with Hagler? If you were his trainer, how would you have him fight him?

 

I think much of the criticism comes from the belief that the fight was a LOT closer than the official decision.